Is he healthy?My guess is no, but Marshall and UConn have been very closed mouth about his condition at his request. There had been some thought he would be back after the break. Obviously that didn't happen.

J.D.

01-07-2013, 04:40 PM

Don't know much about him, but wish him the best. I'm curious what level of coach UConn fans think they'll be able to attract...

Jim

01-07-2013, 04:55 PM

Don't know much about him, but wish him the best. I'm curious what level of coach UConn fans think they'll be able to attract...
With the upcoming move to Hockey East I would think there will be some interest. Depending on how the year goes, I wouldn't be shocked if Berard, the acting head coach, gets a look. I could see them talking to some of the same folks UMass looked at, too. There is some thought that Berard was brought in as a sort of coach in waiting once Bruce decided to retire after the Hockey East upgrade but I haven't heard anything official on that.

UncleRay

01-07-2013, 05:02 PM

Tim Whitehead might be available pretty soon. I hope.

kingdobbs

01-07-2013, 05:22 PM

Is he healthy?

If after two months on medical leave, he's resigning as head coach, it doesn't take much to infer that the answer to that is "no". The fact that he would have to be in his early 50s sort of speaks to that as well. There's been literally no other information than his announcement taking medical leave or today's resignation, but I can't imagine it means good things for him.

Don't know much about him, but wish him the best. I'm curious what level of coach UConn fans think they'll be able to attract...

It's an interesting question to be sure, because it's literally in the midst of an upgrade to the school's commitment to hockey. Someone we might not expect might jump on it for the potential of it being that "lifetime job that ends with getting the arena named after you" (independent of the probability of that occurring, which I will admit is pretty low).

I don't think any current coach is going to jump on the opportunity, unlike with the Penn State opening; it's not enough of a clear upgrade (UConn's fortunes are likely to be poor in its initial HEA years). Someone's assistant might; realistically, from a mid-tier school like Northeastern or Merrimack. My guess is they're not proceeding with an established 'short list', rather dangling one's bait in the water and see who bites at it.

J.D.

01-07-2013, 06:09 PM

If after two months on medical leave, he's resigning as head coach, it doesn't take much to infer that the answer to that is "no". The fact that he would have to be in his early 50s sort of speaks to that as well. There's been literally no other information than his announcement taking medical leave or today's resignation, but I can't imagine it means good things for him.

I just didn't know if there was more to the story--behind the scene stuff where this wasn't actually his call. Maybe UConn wanted to go in a different direction going forward anyway.

kingdobbs

01-07-2013, 06:55 PM

I just didn't know if there was more to the story--behind the scene stuff where this wasn't actually his call. Maybe UConn wanted to go in a different direction going forward anyway.

It's possible that was brought into the discussion. The AD realistically can't hold the position for him indefinitely, and with the upgrade going on, it would seem more prudent to ensure there was a clear choice for who would be coaching in the very critical early years; if Marshall wasn't going to be able to be that guy, it makes sense for both parties to move on.

To me, though, the best time to announce a new direction was probably when they announced the upgrade. Which is why I'm banking on the fact that it's a medical issue.

LTsatch

01-07-2013, 07:42 PM

All the best to the Coach and his UConn friends. Hope he is ok.

UNHHurstFan

01-07-2013, 08:09 PM

Don't know much about him, but wish him the best. I'm curious what level of coach UConn fans think they'll be able to attract...

My guess - Toot Cahoon or they stay with Berard

RSTuthill

01-07-2013, 08:12 PM

I am staggered. He did so much for youth hockey. I remember his Monday night clinics for the serious kids back in the D-3 days. He was dead tired from the weekend, you could tell, but still he came out because the kids in the area needed the kind of high level coaching they could get in those clinics.

Just wish he had the chance to take the Huskies into HE for at least a couple of seasons. He did a lot at UConn with very few resources and rules far more restrictive than other non-scholarship programs.

Best of luck, Bruce. We will miss you.

RSTuthill

01-07-2013, 08:14 PM

My guess - Toot Cahoon or they stay with Berard
They could do a whole lot worse than either of those guys. Either one would be a good choice.

Jim

01-08-2013, 10:28 AM

I am staggered. He did so much for youth hockey. I remember his Monday night clinics for the serious kids back in the D-3 days. He was dead tired from the weekend, you could tell, but still he came out because the kids in the area needed the kind of high level coaching they could get in those clinics.

Just wish he had the chance to take the Huskies into HE for at least a couple of seasons. He did a lot at UConn with very few resources and rules far more restrictive than other non-scholarship programs.

Best of luck, Bruce. We will miss you. Let me second your thoughts. I have always been a defender, and wondered what he would do with a full (even AHA full) set of scholarships.

Patman

01-08-2013, 11:17 AM

I've wanted him gone for years... All i will say is, not in this way.

When people leave for med reasons that tells me something is very wrong.

As for the UConn job, it depends what they want to spend. I've always said that in its former/current state that it'd be great for a young family oriented coach who wanted stability. Going forward, however, I'm still unsure about UConn's actual commitment to the sport. I expect the next hire to be nothing groundbreaking. I could see Toot... I could see Blaise MacDonald. Blaise has at least 7 kids and I'm sure free UConn educations would be extremely appealing.

We will see. I still think very negative things about Marshall but I'd rather see him fired under conventional terms and not under circumstances which are likely to be very bad.

I hope that whatever is causing Coach Marshall to resign can be healed so that he can have a good life outside of hockey.

Nick Papagiorgio

01-08-2013, 11:26 AM

It would have been nice to see this guy get a shot at coaching in Hockey East after presiding over the program for the length of time that he has.

I feel bad for whomever they hire. It'll be a paycheck job with no real chance of ever doing anything significant on the ice. How long can the next coach reasonably expect to stick around before getting fired for Uconn's upcoming poor record in Hockey East? 5 years give or take?

Patman

01-08-2013, 11:29 AM

It would have been nice to see this guy get a shot at coaching in Hockey East after presiding over the program for the length of time that he has.

I feel bad for whomever they hire. It'll be a paycheck job with no real chance of ever doing anything significant on the ice. How long can the next coach reasonably expect to stick around before getting fired for Uconn's upcoming poor record in Hockey East? 5 years give or take?

Depends on their expectations... UConn, for better or worse, doesn't really go around firing coaches. Almost all of them have been around forever and if not they are likely replacing somebody who was. I think that has allowed some space for breathing that wouldn't normally exist otherwise.

RSTuthill

01-08-2013, 11:36 AM

I feel bad for whomever they hire. It'll be a paycheck job with no real chance of ever doing anything significant on the ice.
I would not be so sure about that. Just wait and see. UConn will throw resources at it.